Sign up to receive free email alerts when patent applications with chosen keywords are publishedSIGN UP

Abstract:

An inkjet printhead that has an array of droplet ejectors supported on a
printhead integrated circuit (IC). Each of the droplet ejectors has a
nozzle aperture and an actuator for ejecting a droplet of ink through the
nozzle aperture. Each of the droplet ejectors has a chamber in which the
actuator is positioned, the chamber having an inlet for fluid
communication with an ink supply. A filter structure in positioned the
inlet to inhibit ingress of contaminants into the chamber.

Claims:

1. An inkjet printhead comprising:an array of droplet ejectors supported
on a printhead integrated circuit (IC), each of the droplet ejectors has
a nozzle aperture and an actuator for ejecting a droplet of ink through
the nozzle aperture and, each of the droplet ejectors has a chamber in
which the actuator is positioned, the chamber having an inlet for fluid
communication with an ink supply, and a filter structure in the inlet to
inhibit ingress of contaminants into the chamber.

2. An inkjet printhead according tot claim 1 wherein the filter structure
is a plurality of spaced columns.

4. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 further comprising drive
circuitry for providing the actuators with power, the drive circuitry
having patterned layers of metal separated by interleaved layers of
dielectric material, the layers of metal being interconnected by
conductive vias, wherein the drive circuitry has more than two of the
metal layers and each of the metal layers are less than 2 microns thick.

5. An inkjet printhead according to claim 4 wherein the metal layers are
each less than 1 micron thick.

6. An inkjet printhead according to claim 4 wherein the metal layers are
0.5 microns thick.

7. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the array has more
than 2000 droplet ejectors.

8. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the array has more
than 10,000 droplet ejectors.

9. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the array has more
than 15,000 droplet ejectors.

10. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the printhead IC has
a printhead surface layer in which the nozzle apertures are formed, the
printhead surface layer being less than 10 microns thick.

11. An inkjet printhead according to claim 10 wherein the printhead
surface layer is between 1.5 microns and 3.0 microns.

12. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein each of the droplet
ejectors in the array is configured to eject droplets with a volume less
than 3 pico-litres each.

13. An inkjet printhead according to claim 12 wherein the droplets ejected
have a volume between 1 pico-litre and 2 pico-litres.

14. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the array has a
nozzle aperture density of more than 100 nozzle apertures per square
millimetre and all the nozzle apertures are formed in a printhead surface
layer on one face of the printhead IC.

15. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the array has a
nozzle aperture density of more than 200 nozzle apertures per square
millimetre.

16. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the array has a
nozzle aperture density of more than 300 nozzle apertures per square
millimetre.

17. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the actuator in each
of the droplet ejectors is configured to generate a pressure pulse in a
quantity of ink adjacent the nozzle aperture, the pressure pulse being
directed towards the nozzles aperture such that the droplet of ink is
ejected through the nozzle aperture, the actuator being positioned in the
droplet ejector such that it is less than 30 microns from an exterior
surface of the printhead surface layer.

18. An inkjet printhead according to claim 17 wherein the actuator is
positioned in the droplet ejector such that it is less than 20 microns
from an exterior surface of the printhead surface layer.

19. An inkjet printhead according to claim 18 wherein the actuator being
positioned in the droplet ejector such that it is less than 15 microns
from an exterior surface of the printhead surface layer.

20. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the nozzle apertures
each have an area less than 600 microns squared.

Description:

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001]The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
application Ser. No. 11/926,109 filed on Oct. 28, 2007, which is a
continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/778,572 filed on Jul. 16,
2007, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/349,074
filed on Feb. 8, 2006, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,255,424, which is a
continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/982,789 filed on Nov. 8,
2004, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,720, which is a continuation of U.S.
application Ser. No. 10/421,823 filed on Apr. 24, 2003, now issued U.S.
Pat. No. 6,830,316, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.
09/113,122 filed on Jul. 10, 1998, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,977,
all of which are herein incorporated by reference.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002]The following US patents and US patent applications are hereby
incorporated by cross-reference.

[0003]The present invention relates to the field of drop on demand ink jet
printing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004]Many different types of printing have been invented, a large number
of which are presently in use. The known forms of print have a variety of
methods for marking the print media with a relevant marking media.
Commonly used forms of printing include offset printing, laser printing
and copying devices, dot matrix type impact printers, thermal paper
printers, film recorders, thermal wax printers, dye sublimation printers
and inkjet printers both of the drop on demand and continuous flow type.
Each type of printer has its own advantages and problems when considering
cost, speed, quality, reliability, simplicity of construction and
operation etc.

[0005]In recent years, the field of ink jet printing, wherein each
individual pixel of ink is derived from one or more ink nozzles has
become increasingly popular primarily due to its inexpensive and
versatile nature.

[0006]Many different techniques on ink jet printing have been invented.
For a survey of the field, reference is made to an article by J Moore,
"Non-Impact Printing: Introduction and Historical Perspective", Output
Hard Copy Devices, Editors R Dubeck and S Sherr, pages 207-220 (1988).

[0007]Inkjet printers themselves come in many different types. The
utilization of a continuous stream ink in inkjet printing appears to date
back to at least 1929 wherein U.S. Pat. No. 1,941,001 by Hansell
discloses a simple form of continuous stream electro-static ink jet
printing.

[0008]U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,275 by Sweet also discloses a process of a
continuous inkjet printing including the step wherein the ink jet stream
is modulated by a high frequency electro-static field so as to cause drop
separation. This technique is still utilized by several manufacturers
including Elmjet and Scitex (see also U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,437 by Sweet et
al)

[0009]Piezoelectric inkjet printers are also one form of commonly utilized
ink jet printing device. Piezoelectric systems are disclosed by Kyser et.
al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398 (1970) which utilizes a diaphragm mode of
operation, by Zolten in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,212 (1970) which discloses a
squeeze mode of operation of a piezoelectric crystal, Stemme in U.S. Pat.
No. 3,747,120 (1972) discloses a bend mode of piezoelectric operation,
Howkins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,601 discloses a piezoelectric push mode
actuation of the ink jet stream and Fischbeck in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590
which discloses a shear mode type of piezoelectric transducer element.

[0010]Recently, thermal inkjet printing has become an extremely popular
form of inkjet printing. The ink jet printing techniques include those
disclosed by Endo et al in GB 2007162 (1979) and Vaught et al in U.S.
Pat. No. 4,490,728. Both the aforementioned references disclosed inkjet
printing techniques rely upon the activation of an electrothermal
actuator which results in the creation of a bubble in a constricted
space, such as a nozzle, which thereby causes the ejection of ink from an
aperture connected to the confined space onto a relevant print media.
Printing devices utilizing the electro-thermal actuator are manufactured
by manufacturers such as Canon and Hewlett Packard.

[0011]These printheads have nozzle arrays that share a common basic
construction. The electrothermal actuators are fabricated on one
supporting substrate and the nozzles through which the ink is ejected are
formed in a separate substrate or plate. The nozzle plate and thermal
actuators are then aligned and assembled. The nozzle plate and the
thermal actuator substrate can be sealed together in a variety of
different ways, for example, epoxy adhesive, anodic bonding or sealing
glass.

[0012]Accurate registration between the thermal actuators and the nozzles
can be problematic. These problems effectively restrict the size of the
nozzle array in any one monolithic plate and corresponding actuator
substrate. Any misalignment between the nozzles and the underlying
actuators will compound as the dimensions of the array increase.
Furthermore, differential thermal expansion between the nozzle plate and
the actuator substrate create greater misalignments as the array sizes
increase. In light of these registration issues, printhead nozzle arrays
have a nozzle densities of the order of 10 to 20 nozzles per square mm
and less than about 300 nozzles in any one monolithic plate and
corresponding actuator substrate.

[0013]Given these limits on nozzle array size, pagewidth printheads using
this two-part design are impractical. A stationary printhead extending
the printing width of the media substrate would require many separate
printhead arrays mounted in precise alignment with each other. The
complexity of this arrangement makes such printers commercially
unrealistic.

[0014]As can be seen from the foregoing, many different types of printing
technologies are available. Ideally, a printing technology should have a
number of desirable attributes. These include inexpensive construction
and operation, high speed operation, safe and continuous long term
operation etc. Each technology may have its own advantages and
disadvantages in the areas of cost, speed, quality, reliability, power
usage, simplicity of construction operation, durability and consumables.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015]According to a first aspect, the present invention provides an
inkjet printhead comprising:

[0016]an array of droplet ejectors supported on a printhead integrated
circuit (IC), each of the droplet ejectors has a nozzle aperture and an
actuator for ejecting a droplet of ink through the nozzle aperture and,
each of the droplet ejectors has a chamber in which the actuator is
positioned, the chamber having an inlet for fluid communication with an
ink supply, and a filter structure in the inlet to inhibit ingress of
contaminants into the chamber.

[0017]A filter structure at the inlet to each ink chamber is more likely
to remove contaminants than a filter positioned further upstream in the
in the ink supply flow. Contaminants, including air bubbles, can
originate at all points along the ink supply line, so there is less
chance of nozzle clogging or other detrimental effects if the ink flow is
filtered at each of the chamber inlets.

[0018]In a particularly preferred form, the filter structure is a
plurality of spaced columns. In some embodiments, the spaced columns each
extend generally parallel to the droplet ejection direction.

[0019]Preferably, the printhead IC has drive circuitry for providing the
actuators with power, the drive circuitry having patterned layers of
metal separated by interleaved layers of dielectric material, the layers
of metal being interconnected by conductive vias, wherein the drive
circuitry has more than two of the metal layers and each of the metal
layers are less than 2 microns thick.

[0020]Incorporating the drive circuitry and the droplet ejectors onto the
same supporting substrate reduces the number of electrical connections
needed on the printhead IC and the resistive losses when transmitting
power to the actuators. The circuitry on the printhead IC needs to have
more than just power and ground metal layers in order to provide the
necessary drive FETs, shift registers and so on. However, each metal
layer can be thinner and fabricated using well known and efficient
techniques employed in standard semiconductor fabrication. Overall, this
yields production efficiencies in time and cost.

[0021]Preferably, the metal layers are each less than 1 micron thick. In a
still further preferred form, the metal layers are 0.5 microns thick.
Half micron CMOS is often used in semiconductor fabrication and is thick
enough to ensure that the connections at the bond pads are reliable.

[0022]Preferably, the array has a nozzle aperture density of more than 100
nozzle apertures per square millimetre. Preferably, the array has a
nozzle aperture density of more than 200 nozzle apertures per square
millimetre. In a further preferred form, the array has a nozzle aperture
density of more than 300 nozzle apertures per square millimetre.

[0023]Forming the nozzle apertures within a layer on one side of the
underlying wafer instead of laser ablating nozzles in a separated plate
that is subsequently mounted to the printhead integrated circuit
significantly improves the accuracy of registration between an actuator
and its corresponding nozzle. With more precise registration between the
nozzle aperture and the actuator, a greater nozzle density is possible.
Nozzle density has a direct bearing on the print resolution and or print
speeds. A high density array of nozzles can print to all the addressable
locations (the grid of locations on the media substrate at which the
printer can print a dot) with less passes of the printhead or ideally, a
single pass.

[0024]In some embodiments, the array has more than 2000 droplet ejectors.
Preferably, the array has more than 10,000 droplet ejectors. In a further
preferred form, the array has more than 15,000 droplet ejectors.
Increasing the number of nozzles fabricated on a printhead IC allows
larger arrays, faster print speeds and ultimately pagewidth printheads.

[0025]Preferably, the printhead surface layer is less than 10 microns
thick. In a further preferred form, the printhead surface layer is less
than 8 microns thick. In a still further preferred form, the printhead
surface layer is less than 5 microns thick. In particular embodiments,
the printhead surface layer is between 1.5 microns and 3.0 microns.

[0026]Forming the nozzle apertures in a thin surface layer reduces
stresses caused by differential thermal expansion. Thin surface layers
mean that the `barrel` of the nozzle aperture is short and has less
fluidic drag on the droplets as they are ejected. This reduces the
ejection energy that the actuator needs to impart to the ink which in
turn reduces the energy needed to be input into the actuator. With the
actuators operating at lower power, they can be placed closer together on
the printhead IC because there is less cross talk between nozzles and
less excess heat generated. The close spacing increases the density of
droplet ejectors within the array.

[0027]Preferably, each of the droplet ejectors in the array is configured
to eject droplets with a volume less than 3 pico-litres each. In a
further preferred form, each of the droplet ejectors in the array is
configured to eject droplets with a volume less than 2 pico-litres each.
In a particularly preferred form, the droplets ejected have a volume
between 1 pico-litre and 2 pico-litres.

[0028]Configuring the ejector so that it ejects small volume drops reduces
the energy needed to eject drops.

[0029]Preferably, the actuator in each of the droplet ejectors is
configured to generate a pressure pulse in a quantity of ink adjacent the
nozzle aperture, the pressure pulse being directed towards the nozzles
aperture such that the droplet of ink is ejected through the nozzle
aperture, the actuator being positioned in the droplet ejector such that
it is less than 30 microns from an exterior surface of the printhead
surface layer. Preferably, the actuator is positioned in the droplet
ejector such that it is less than 20 microns from an exterior surface of
the printhead surface layer. In a further preferred form, the actuator
being positioned in the droplet ejector such that it is less than 15
microns from an exterior surface of the printhead surface layer.

[0030]In some preferred embodiments, the nozzle apertures each have an
area less than 600 microns squared. In a further preferred form, the
nozzle apertures each have an area less than 400 microns squared. In a
particularly preferred form, the nozzle apertures each have an area
between 150 microns squared and 200 microns squared.

[0031]Preferably, during printing 100% coverage at full print rate, each
of the actuators has an average power consumption less than 1.5 mW. In a
further preferred form, the average power consumption is between 0.5 mW
and 1.0 mW. In a still further preferred form, the array has more than
15,000 of the droplet ejectors and operates at less than 10 Watts during
printing 100% coverage at full print rate. Configuring the actuators for
low power ejection causes less cross talk between nozzles and less, if
any, excess heat generation. As a result, the density of the droplet
ejectors on the printhead IC can increase. Droplet ejector density has a
direct bearing on the print resolution and or print speeds. A high
density array of nozzles can print to all the addressable locations (the
grid of locations on the media substrate at which the printer can print a
dot) with less passes of the printhead or ideally, a single pass, as is
the case with a pagewidth printhead.

[0032]Preferably, each of the actuators is configured to consume less than
1 Watt during activation. In a further preferred form, each of the
actuators is configured to consume less than 500 mW during activation. In
some embodiments, each of the actuators is configured to consume between
100 mW and 500 mW during activation.

[0033]Preferably, the array of droplet ejectors is arranged as a plurality
of rows of the droplet ejectors, the inkjet printhead further comprising
an ink supply channel extending parallel to the plurality of rows, and an
inlet conduit extending from the supply channel to an opposing surface of
the printhead IC. Preferably, the supply channel extends between at least
two of the plurality of rows. Feeding ink to the rows of droplet ejectors
via a parallel supply channel that has a supply conduit to the `back` of
the IC, reduces the number of deep anisotropic back etches. Less back
etching preserves the structural integrity of the printhead IC which is
more robust and less likely to be damaged by die handling equipment.

[0034]Preferably, the droplet ejectors are configured to eject ink
droplets at a velocity less than 4.5 m/s. In a further preferred form,
the velocity is less than 4.0 m/s. The Applicant's work has found drop
ejection velocities greater than 4.5 m/s have significantly more
satellite drops. Furthermore, tests show a velocity less than 4.0 m/s
have negligible satellite drops.

[0035]Preferably, each of the droplet ejectors has a chamber in which the
actuator is positioned, the chamber having a volume less than 30,000
microns cubed. In a further preferred form, the volume is less than
25,000 microns cubed. Low energy ejection of ink droplets generates
little, if any, excess heat in the printhead. A build up of excess heat
in the printhead imposes a limit on the nozzle firing frequency and
thereby limits the print speed. The IJ30 printhead is self cooling (the
heat generated by the thermal actuator is removed from the printhead with
the ejected drop). In this case, the print speed is only limited by the
rate at which the ink can be supplied to the printhead or the speed that
the media substrate can be fed past the printhead. Reducing the volume of
the ink chambers reduces the volume of ink in which the heat can
dissipate. However, a reduced volume ink chamber has a fast refill time
and relies solely on capillary action. As the actuator is configured for
low energy input, the reduced volume of ink does not cause problems for
heat dissipation.

[0036]Preferably, the printhead IC has a back face that is opposite said
one face on which the printhead surface layer is formed, and at least one
supply conduit extending from the back face to the array of droplet
ejectors such that the at least one supply conduit is in fluid
communication with a plurality of the droplet ejectors in the array. In a
further preferred form, the printhead IC has a plurality of the supply
conduits and drive circuitry for providing the actuators with power, the
drive circuitry having patterned layers of metal separated by interleaved
layers of dielectric material, the layers of metal being interconnected
by conductive vias, wherein the drive circuitry extends between the
plurality of supply conduits. Supplying the array of droplet ejectors
with ink from the back face of the printhead IC instead of along the
front face provides more room to the electrical contacts and drive
circuitry. This in turn, provides the scope to increase the density of
droplet ejectors per unit area on the printhead IC.

[0037]Preferably, the array of droplet ejectors is arranged as a plurality
of rows of the droplet ejectors, the printhead IC further comprises an
ink supply channel extending parallel to the plurality of rows, such that
the ink supply channel connects to the plurality of supply conduits
extending from the back face of the printhead IC. Preferably, the supply
channel extends between at least two of the plurality of rows. In a
particularly preferred form, the printhead IC has an elongate
configuration with its longitudinal extent parallel to the rows of
droplet ejectors, the printhead IC further comprising a series of
electrical contacts along of its longitudinal sides for receiving power
and print data for all the droplet ejectors in the array.

[0038]According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a
method of fabricating an inkjet printhead comprising the steps of:

[0039]forming a plurality of actuators on a monolithic substrate;

[0040]covering the actuators with a sacrificial material;

[0041]covering the sacrificial material with a printhead surface layer;

[0042]defining a plurality of nozzle apertures in the printhead surface
layer such that each of the actuators corresponds to one of the nozzle
apertures; and,

[0043]removing at least some of the sacrificial material on each of the
actuators through the nozzle aperture corresponding to each of the
actuators.

[0044]By forming the nozzle apertures in a printhead surface layer that is
a lithographically deposited structure on the monolithic substrate, the
alignment with the actuators is within tolerances while fabrication
remains cost effective. Greater precision allows the printhead to have a
higher nozzle density and the array can be larger before CTE mismatch
causes the nozzle to actuator alignment to exceed the required
tolerances.

[0045]Preferably, the method further comprises the step of supporting the
actuators on the monolithic substrate by CMOS drive circuitry positioned
between the monolithic substrate and the actuators and the monolithic
substrate. Preferably, the method further comprises the step of
depositing a protective layer over the CMOS drive circuitry and etching
the protective layer to expose areas of the CMOS drive circuitry
configured to be electrical contacts for the actuators. Preferably, the
protective layer is a nitride material. Silicon nitride is particularly
suitable.

[0046]Preferably, the method further comprises the step of forming etchant
holes in the printhead surface layer for exposing the sacrificial
material beneath the printhead surface layer to etchant, the etchant
holes being smaller than the nozzle apertures such that during printer
operation, ink is not ejected through the etchant holes.

[0047]Preferably, the printhead surface layer is a nitride material
deposited over a sacrificial layer. In a further preferred form, the
printhead surface layer is silicon nitride. Preferably, the monolithic
substrate has an ink ejection side providing a planar support surface for
the CMOS drive circuitry and the plurality of actuators, the monolithic
substrate also having an ink supply surface opposing the ink ejection
side, the printhead surface layer has a roof layer extending in a plane
parallel to the planar support surface, and side wall structures formed
integrally with the roof layer and extending toward the planar support
surface. Preferably, the printhead surface layer has a plurality of
filter structures formed integrally with the roof layer and positioned to
filter ink flow to each of the actuators respectively. Preferably, the
method further comprises the step of etching ink supply channels from the
ink supply surface of the monolithic substrate to the planar support
surface of the ink ejection side. In a further preferred form, the step
of removing at least some of the sacrificial material on each of the
actuators through the nozzle apertures is performed after the ink supply
channels are etched from the ink supply surface.

[0048]According to a third aspect, the present invention provides an
inkjet printer comprising:

[0049]a printhead mounted adjacent a media feed path;

[0050]an array of droplet ejectors for ejecting ink droplets on to a media
substrate, each of the droplet ejectors having an electro-thermal
actuator; and,

[0051]a media feed drive for moving the media substrate relative to the
array of droplet ejectors at a speed greater than 0.1 m/s.

[0052]Increasing the speed of the media substrate relative to the
printhead, whether the printhead is a scanning or pagewidth type, reduces
the time needed to complete print jobs.

[0053]Preferably, the media feed drive is configured for moving the media
substrate relative to the array of droplet ejectors at a speed greater
than 0.15 m/s.

[0054]The nozzle chamber structure may be defined by the substrate as a
result of an etching process carried out on the substrate, such that one
of the layers of the substrate defines the ejection port on one side of
the substrate and the actuator is positioned on an opposite side of the
substrate.

[0055]According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is
provided a method of ejecting ink from a chamber comprising the steps of:
a) providing a cantilevered beam actuator incorporating a shape memory
alloy; and b) transforming said shape memory alloy from its martensitic
phase to its austenitic phase or vice versa to cause the ink to eject
from said chamber. Further, the actuator comprises a conductive shape
memory alloy panel in a quiescent state and which transfers to an ink
ejection state upon heating thereby causing said ink ejection from the
chamber. Preferably, the heating occurs by means of passing a current
through the shape memory alloy. The chamber is formed from a
crystallographic etch of a silicon wafer so as to have one surface of the
chamber substantially formed by the actuator. Advantageously, the
actuator is formed from a conductive shape memory alloy arranged in a
serpentine form and is attached to one wall of the chamber opposite a
nozzle port from which ink is ejected. Further, the nozzle port is formed
by the back etching of a silicon wafer to the epitaxial layer and etching
a nozzle port hole in the epitaxial layer. The crystallographic etch
includes providing side wall slots of non-etched layers of a processed
silicon wafer so as to extend the dimensions of the chamber as a result
of the crystallographic etch process. Preferably, the shape memory alloy
comprises nickel titanium alloy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056]Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of
the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be
described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:

[0057]FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a single ink jet nozzle
as constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the
invention;

[0058]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a single ink jet nozzle in its
quiescent state taken along line A-A in FIG. 1;

[0059]FIG. 3 is a top cross sectional view of a single ink jet nozzle in
its actuated state taken along line A-A in FIG. 1;

[0060]FIG. 4 provides a legend of the materials indicated in FIGS. 5 to
15;

[0061]FIG. 5 to FIG. 15 illustrate sectional views of the manufacturing
steps in one form of construction of an ink jet printhead nozzle;

[0062]FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
construction of a single ink jet nozzle of U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 09/113,097 by the Applicant, referred to in the table of
cross-referenced material as set out above;

[0063]FIG. 17 is a perspective view, in part in section, of the ink jet
nozzle of FIG. 16;

[0064]FIG. 18 provides a legend of the materials indicated in FIGS. 19 to
35;

[0065]FIGS. 19 to 35 illustrate sectional views of the manufacturing steps
in one form of construction of the ink jet printhead nozzle of FIG. 16;

[0066]FIG. 36 is a cut-out top view of an ink jet nozzle of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/113,061 by the Applicant, referred to in the
table of cross-referenced material as set out above;

[0067]FIG. 37 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
construction of the ink jet nozzle of FIG. 36;

[0068]FIG. 38 provides a legend of the materials indicated in FIGS. 39 to
59;

[0069]FIGS. 39 to 59 illustrate sectional views of the manufacturing steps
in one form of construction of the ink jet printhead nozzle of FIG. 36;

[0070]FIG. 60 is a perspective view partly in sections of a single ink jet
nozzle constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment;

[0071]FIG. 61 is an exploded perspective view partly in section
illustrating the construction of a single ink nozzle in accordance with
the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0072]FIG. 62 provides a legend of the materials indicated in FIGS. 63 to
75; and,

[0073]FIGS. 63 to 75 illustrate sectional views of the manufacturing steps
in one form of construction of an ink jet printhead nozzle.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND OTHER EMBODIMENTS

[0074]In the preferred embodiment, shape memory materials are utilised to
construct an actuator suitable for injecting ink from the nozzle of an
ink chamber.

[0075]Turning to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an exploded perspective view
10 of a single ink jet nozzle as constructed in accordance with the
preferred embodiment. The ink jet nozzle 10 is constructed from a silicon
wafer base utilizing back etching of the wafer to a boron doped epitaxial
layer. Hence, the ink jet nozzle 10 comprises a lower layer 11 which is
constructed from boron-doped silicon. The boron doped silicon layer is
also utilized as a crystallographic etch stop layer. The next layer
comprises the silicon layer 12 that includes a crystallographic pit that
defines a nozzle chamber 13 having side walls etched at the conventional
angle of 54.74 degrees. The layer 12 also includes the various required
circuitry and transistors for example, a CMOS layer (not shown). After
this, a 0.5-micron thick thermal silicon oxide layer 15 is grown on top
of the silicon wafer 12.

[0076]After this, come various layers which can comprise two-level metal
CMOS process layers which provide the metal interconnect for the CMOS
transistors formed within the layer 12. The various metal pathways etc.
are not shown in FIG. 1 but for two metal interconnects 18, 19 which
provide interconnection between a shape memory alloy layer 20 and the
CMOS metal layers 16. The shape memory metal layer is next and is shaped
in the form of a serpentine coil to be heated by end interconnect/via
portions 21,23. A top nitride layer 22 is provided for overall
passivation and protection of lower layers in addition to providing a
means of inducing tensile stress to curl the shape memory alloy layer 20
in its quiescent state.

[0077]The preferred embodiment relies upon the thermal transition of a
shape memory alloy 20 (SMA) from its martensitic phase to its austenitic
phase. The basis of a shape memory effect is a martensitic transformation
from a thermoelastic martensite at a relatively low temperature to an
austenite at a higher temperature. The thermal transition is achieved by
passing an electrical current through the SMA. The layer 20 is suspended
at the entrance to a nozzle chamber connected via leads 18, 19 to the
layers 16.

[0078]In FIG. 2, there is shown a cross-section of a single nozzle 10 when
in its quiescent state, the section being taken through the line A-A of
FIG. 1. An actuator 30 that includes the layers 20, 22, is bent away from
a nozzle port 47 when in its quiescent state. In FIG. 3, there is shown a
corresponding cross-section for the nozzle 10 when in an actuated state.
When energized, the actuator 30 straightens, with the corresponding
result that the ink is pushed out of the nozzle. The process of
energizing the actuator 30 requires supplying enough energy to raise the
SMA layer 20 above its transition temperature so that the SMA layer 20
moves as it is transformed into its austenitic phase.

[0079]The SMA martensitic phase must be pre-stressed to achieve a
different shape from the austenitic phase. For printheads with many
thousands of nozzles, it is important to achieve this pre-stressing in a
bulk manner. This is achieved by depositing the layer of silicon nitride
22 using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) at around
300° C. over the SMA layer. The deposition occurs while the SMA is
in the austenitic shape. After the printhead cools to room temperature
the substrate under the SMA bend actuator is removed by chemical etching
of a sacrificial substance. The silicon nitride layer 22 is thus placed
under tensile stress and curls away from the nozzle port 47. The weak
martensitic phase of the SMA provides little resistance to this curl.
When the SMA is heated to its austenitic phase, it returns to the flat
shape into which it was annealed during the nitride deposition. The
transformation is rapid enough to result in the ejection of ink from the
nozzle chamber.

[0080]There is one SMA bend actuator 30 for each nozzle. One end 31 of the
SMA bend actuator 30 is mechanically connected to the substrate. The
other end is free to move under the stresses inherent in the layers.

[0081]Returning to FIG. 1, the actuator layer is composed of three layers:

[0082]1. The SiO2 lower layer 15. This layer acts as a stress
`reference` for the nitride tensile layer. It also protects the SMA from
the crystallographic silicon etch that forms the nozzle chamber. This
layer can be formed as part of the standard CMOS process for the active
electronics of the printhead.

[0083]2. An SMA heater layer 20. An SMA such as a nickel titanium (NiTi)
alloy is deposited and etched into a serpentine form to increase the
electrical resistance so that the SMA is heated when an electrical
current is passed through the SMA.

[0084]3. A silicon nitride top layer 22. This is a thin layer of high
stiffness which is deposited using PECVD. The nitride stoichiometry is
adjusted to achieve a layer with significant tensile stress at room
temperature relative to the SiO2 lower layer. Its purpose is to bend
the actuator at the low temperature martensitic phase, away from the
nozzle port 47.

[0085]As noted previously, the ink jet nozzle of FIG. 1 can be constructed
by utilizing a silicon wafer having a buried boron epitaxial layer. The
0.5 micron thick dioxide layer 15 is then formed having side slots 45
which are utilized in a subsequent crystallographic etch. Next, the
various CMOS layers 16 are formed including drive and control circuitry
(not shown). The SMA layer 20 is then created on top of layers 15/16 and
is connected with the drive circuitry. The silicon nitride layer 22 is
then formed on the layer 20. Each of the layers 15, 16, 22 includes the
various slots 45 which are utilized in a subsequent crystallographic
etch. The silicon wafer is subsequently thinned by means of back etching
with the etch stop being the boron-doped silicon layer 11. Subsequent
etching of the layer 11 forms the nozzle port 47 and a nozzle rim 46. A
nozzle chamber is formed by means of a crystallographic etch with the
slots 45 defining the extent of the etch within the silicon oxide layer
12.

[0086]A large array of nozzles can be formed on the same wafer which in
turn is attached to an ink chamber for filling the nozzle chambers.

[0087]One form of detailed manufacturing process which can be used to
fabricate monolithic ink jet printheads operating in accordance with the
principles taught by the present embodiment can proceed utilizing the
following steps:

[0090]3. Complete drive transistors, data distribution, and timing
circuits using a 0.5-micron, one poly, 2 metal CMOS process to define the
CMOS metal layers 16. This step is shown in FIG. 5. For clarity, these
diagrams may not be to scale, and may not represent a cross section
though any single plane of the nozzle. FIG. 4 is a key to representations
of various materials in these manufacturing diagrams, and those of other
cross-referenced ink jet configurations.

[0091]4. Etch the CMOS oxide layers down to silicon or aluminum using Mask
1. This mask defines the nozzle chamber, and the edges of the printheads
chips. This step is shown in FIG. 6.

[0095]8. Etch the nitride layer 53 using Mask 2. This mask defines the
contact vias from the shape memory heater to the second-level metal
contacts.

[0096]9. Deposit a seed layer.

[0097]10. Spin on 2 microns of resist, expose with Mask 3, and develop.
This mask defines the shape memory wire embedded in the paddle. The
resist acts as an electroplating mold. This step is shown in FIG. 9.

[0098]11. Electroplate 1 micron of Nitinol 55 on the sacrificial material
52 to fill the electroplating mold. Nitinol is a `shape memory` alloy of
nickel and titanium, developed at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in the US
(hence Ni--Ti--NOL). A shape memory alloy can be thermally switched
between its weak martensitic state and its high stiffness austenitic
state.

[0099]12. Strip the resist and etch the exposed seed layer. This step is
shown in FIG. 10.

[0100]13. Wafer probe. All electrical connections are complete at this
point, bond pads are accessible, and the chips are not yet separated.

[0101]14. Deposit 0.1 microns of high stress silicon nitride. High stress
nitride is used so that once the sacrificial material is etched, and the
paddle is released, the stress in the nitride layer will bend the
relatively weak martensitic phase of the shape memory alloy. As the shape
memory alloy, in its austenitic phase, is flat when it is annealed by the
relatively high temperature deposition of this silicon nitride layer, it
will return to this flat state when electrothermally heated.

[0102]15. Mount the wafer 50 on a glass blank 56 and back-etch the wafer
using KOH with no mask. This etch thins the wafer and stops at the buried
boron doped silicon layer. This step is shown in FIG. 11.

[0103]16. Plasma back-etch the boron doped silicon layer to a depth of 1
micron using Mask 4. This mask defines the nozzle rim 46. This step is
shown in FIG. 12.

[0104]17. Plasma back-etch through the boron doped layer using Mask 5.
This mask defines the nozzle port 47, and the edge of the chips. At this
stage, the chips are still mounted on the glass blank 56. This step is
shown in FIG. 13.

[0105]18. Strip the adhesive layer to detach the chips from the glass
blank. Etch the sacrificial layer 52 away. This process completely
separates the chips. This step is shown in FIG. 14.

[0106]19. Mount the printheads in their packaging, which may be a molded
plastic former incorporating ink channels which supply different colors
of ink to the appropriate regions of the front surface of the wafer.

[0107]20. Connect the printheads to their interconnect systems.

[0108]21. Hydrophobize the front surface of the printheads.

[0109]22. Fill with ink and test the completed printheads. A filled nozzle
is shown in FIG. 15.

[0110]An embodiment of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/113,097 by the
applicant is now described. This embodiment relies upon a magnetic
actuator to "load" a spring, such that, upon deactivation of the magnetic
actuator the resultant movement of the spring causes ejection of a drop
of ink as the spring returns to its original position.

[0111]In FIG. 16, there is illustrated an exploded perspective view of an
ink nozzle arrangement 60 constructed in accordance with the preferred
embodiment. It would be understood that the preferred embodiment can be
constructed as an array of nozzle arrangements 60 so as to together form
an array for printing.

[0112]The operation of the ink nozzle arrangement 60 of FIG. 16 proceeds
by a solenoid 62 being energized by way of a driving circuit 64 when it
is desired to print out an ink drop. The energized solenoid 62 induces a
magnetic field in a fixed soft magnetic pole 66 and a moveable soft
magnetic pole 68. The solenoid power is turned on to a maximum current
for long enough to move the moveable pole 68 from its rest position to a
stopped position close to the fixed magnetic pole 66. The ink nozzle
arrangement 60 of FIG. 1 sits within an ink chamber filled with ink.
Therefore, holes 70 are provided in the moveable soft magnetic pole 68
for "squirting" out of ink from around the solenoid 62 when the pole 66
undergoes movement.

[0113]A fulcrum 72 with a piston head 74 balances the moveable soft
magnetic pole 66. Movement of the magnetic pole 66 closer to the fixed
pole 66 causes the piston head 74 to move away from a nozzle chamber 76
drawing air into the chamber 76 via an ink ejection port 78. The piston
head 74 is then held open above the nozzle chamber 76 by means of
maintaining a low "keeper" current through the solenoid 62. The keeper
level current through solenoid 62 is sufficient to maintain the moveable
pole 68 against the fixed soft magnetic pole 66. The level of current
will be substantially less than the maximum current level because a gap
114 (FIG. 35) between the two poles 66 and 68 is at a minimum. For
example, a keeper level current of 10% of the maximum current level may
be suitable. During this phase of operation, the meniscus of ink at the
nozzle tip or ink ejection port 78 is a concave hemisphere due to the
inflow of air. The surface tension on the meniscus exerts a net force on
the ink which results in ink flow from an ink chamber into the nozzle
chamber 76. This results in the nozzle chamber 76 refilling, replacing
the volume taken up by the piston head 74 which has been withdrawn. This
process takes approximately 100 μs.

[0114]The current within solenoid 62 is then reversed to half that of the
maximum current. The reversal demagnetises the magnetic poles 66, 68 and
initiates a return of the piston 74 to its rest position. The piston 74
is moved to its normal rest position by both magnetic repulsion and by
energy stored in a stressed torsional spring 80, 82 which was put in a
state of torsion upon the movement of moveable pole 68.

[0115]The forces applied to the piston 74 as a result of the reverse
current and spring 80, 82 is greatest at the beginning of the movement of
the piston 74 and decreases as the spring elastic stress falls to zero.
As a result, the acceleration of piston 74 is high at the beginning of a
reverse stroke and the resultant ink velocity within the nozzle chamber
76 becomes uniform during the stroke. This results in an increased
operating tolerance before ink flow over the printhead surface occurs.

[0116]At a predetermined time during the return stroke, the solenoid
reverse current is turned off. The current is turned off when the
residual magnetism of the movable pole is at a minimum. The piston 74
continues to move towards its original rest position.

[0117]The piston 74 overshoots the quiescent or rest position due to its
inertia. Overshoot in the piston movement achieves two things: greater
ejected drop volume and velocity, and improved drop break off as the
piston 74 returns from overshoot to its quiescent position.

[0118]The piston 74 eventually returns from overshoot to the quiescent
position. This return is caused by the springs 80, 82 which are now
stressed in the opposite direction. The piston return "sucks" some of the
ink back into the nozzle chamber 76, causing the ink ligament connecting
the ink drop to the ink in the nozzle chamber 76 to thin. The forward
velocity of the drop and the backward velocity of the ink in the nozzle
chamber 76 are resolved by the ink drop breaking off from the ink in the
nozzle chamber 76.

[0119]The piston 74 stays in the quiescent position until the next drop
ejection cycle.

[0120]A liquid ink printhead has one ink nozzle arrangement 60 associated
with each of the multitude of nozzles. The arrangement 60 has the
following major parts:

[0121](1) Drive circuitry 64 for driving the solenoid 62.

[0122](2) The ejection port 78. The radius of the ejection port 78 is an
important determinant of drop velocity and drop size.

[0123](3) The piston 74. This is a cylinder which moves through the nozzle
chamber 76 to expel the ink. The piston 74 is connected to one end of a
lever arm 84. The piston radius is approximately 1.5 to 2 times the
radius of the ejection port 78. The volume of ink displaced by the piston
74 during the piston return stroke mostly determines the ink drop volume
output.

[0124](4) The nozzle chamber 76. The nozzle chamber 76 is slightly wider
than the piston 74. The gap 114 (FIGS. 34 & 35) between the piston 74 and
the nozzle chamber walls is as small as is required to ensure that the
piston does not make contact with the nozzle chamber 76 during actuation
or return. If the printheads are fabricated using 0.5 μm semiconductor
lithography, then a 1 μm gap 114 will usually be sufficient. The
nozzle chamber 76 is also deep enough so that air ingested through the
ejection port 78 when the piston 74 returns to its quiescent state does
not extend to the piston 74. If it does, the ingested bubble may form a
cylindrical surface instead of a hemispherical surface. If this happens,
the nozzle will not refill properly.

[0125](5) The solenoid 62. This is a spiral coil of copper. Copper is used
for its low resistivity and high electro-migration resistance.

[0126](6) The fixed magnetic pole 66 of ferromagnetic material.

[0127](7) The moveable magnetic pole 68 of ferromagnetic material. To
maximise the magnetic force generated, the moveable magnetic pole 68 and
fixed magnetic pole 66 surround the solenoid 62 to define a torus. Thus,
little magnetic flux is lost, and the flux is concentrated across the gap
between the moveable magnetic pole 68 and the fixed pole 66. The moveable
magnetic pole 68 has the holes 70 above the solenoid 62 to allow trapped
ink to escape. These holes 70 are arranged and shaped so as to minimise
their effect on the magnetic force generated between the moveable
magnetic pole 68 and the fixed magnetic pole 66.

[0128](8) The magnetic gap 114. The gap 114 between the fixed pole 66 and
the moveable pole 68 is one of the most important "parts" of the print
actuator. The size of the gap 114 strongly affects the magnetic force
generated, and also limits the travel of the moveable magnetic pole 68. A
small gap is desirable to achieve a strong magnetic force. The travel of
the piston 74 is related to the travel of the moveable magnetic pole 68
(and therefore the gap 114) by the lever arm 84.

[0129](9) Length of the lever arm 84. The lever arm 84 allows the travel
of the piston 74 and the moveable magnetic pole 68 to be independently
optimised. At the short end of the lever arm 84 is the moveable magnetic
pole 68. At the long end of the lever arm 84 is the piston 74. The spring
80, 82 is at the fulcrum 72. The optimum travel for the moveable magnetic
pole 68 is less than 1 mm, so as to minimise the magnetic gap. The
optimum travel for the piston 74 is approximately 5 μm for a 1200 dpi
printer. A lever 84 resolves the difference in optimum travel with a 5:1
or greater ratio in arm length.

[0130](10) The springs 80, 82 (FIG. 1). The springs 80, 82 return the
piston 74 to its quiescent position after a deactivation of the solenoid
62. The springs 80, 82 are at the fulcrum 72 of the lever arm 84.

[0131](11) Passivation layers (not shown). All surfaces are preferably
coated with passivation layers, which may be silicon nitride
(Si3N4), diamond like carbon (DLC), or other chemically inert,
highly impermeable layer. The passivation layers are especially important
for device lifetime, as the active device is immersed in the ink.

[0132]As will be evident from the foregoing description, there is an
advantage in ejecting the drop on deactivation of the solenoid 62. This
advantage comes from the rate of acceleration of the moving magnetic pole
68.

[0133]The force produced by the moveable magnetic pole 68 by an
electromagnetically induced field is approximately proportional to the
inverse square of the gap between the moveable and static magnetic poles
68, 66. When the solenoid 62 is off, this gap is at a maximum. When the
solenoid 62 is turned on, the moveable pole 68 is attracted to the static
pole 66. As the gap decreases, the force increases, accelerating the
movable pole 68 faster. The velocity increases in a highly non-linear
fashion, approximately with the square of time. During the reverse
movement of the moveable pole 68 upon deactivation, the acceleration of
the moveable pole 68 is greatest at the beginning and then slows as the
spring elastic stress falls to zero. As a result, the velocity of the
moveable pole 68 is more uniform during the reverse stroke movement.

[0134](1) The velocity of the piston or plunger 74 is constant over the
duration of the drop ejection stroke.

[0135](2) The piston or plunger 74 can be entirely removed from the ink
chamber 76 during the ink fill stage, and thereby the nozzle filling time
can be reduced, allowing faster printhead operation.

[0136]However, this approach does have some disadvantages over a direct
firing type of actuator:

[0137](1) The stresses on the spring 80, 82 are relatively large. Careful
design is required to ensure that the springs operate at below the yield
strength of the materials used.

[0138](2) The solenoid 62 must be provided with a "keeper" current for the
nozzle fill duration. The keeper current will typically be less than 10%
of the solenoid actuation current. However, the nozzle fill duration is
typically around 50 times the drop firing duration, so the keeper energy
will typically exceed the solenoid actuation energy.

[0139](3) The operation of the actuator is more complex due to the
requirement for a "keeper" phase.

[0140]The printhead is fabricated from two silicon wafers. A first wafer
is used to fabricate the print nozzles (the printhead wafer) and a second
wafer (the Ink Channel Wafer) is utilised to fabricate the various ink
channels in addition to providing a support means for the first channel.
The fabrication process then proceeds as follows:

[0141](1) Start with a single crystal silicon wafer 90, which has a buried
epitaxial layer 92 of silicon which is heavily doped with boron. The
boron should be doped to preferably 1020 atoms per cm3 of boron
or more, and be approximately 3 μm thick, and be doped in a manner
suitable for the active semiconductor device technology chosen. The wafer
diameter of the printhead wafer should be the same as the ink channel
wafer.

[0145](5) Using a dual damascene process, etch two levels into the top
oxide layer. Level 1 is 4 μm deep, and level 2 is 5 μm deep. Level
2 contacts the second level metal. The masks for the static magnetic pole
are used.

[0146](6) Deposit 5 μm of nickel iron alloy (NiFe).

[0147](7) Planarize the wafer using CMP, until the level of the SiO2
is reached forming the magnetic pole 66.

[0148](8) Deposit 0.1 μm of silicon nitride (Si3N4).

[0149](9) Etch the Si3N4 for via holes for the connections to
the solenoids, and for the nozzle chamber region 76.

[0150](10) Deposit 4 μm of SiO2.

[0151](11) Plasma etch the SiO2 in using the solenoid and support
post mask.

[0152](12) Deposit a thin diffusion barrier, such as Ti, TiN, or TiW, and
an adhesion layer if the diffusion layer chosen has insufficient
adhesion.

[0153](13) Deposit 4 μm of copper for forming the solenoid 62 and
spring posts 94. The deposition may be by sputtering, CVD, or electroless
plating. As well as lower resistivity than aluminium, copper has
significantly higher resistance to electro-migration. The
electro-migration resistance is significant, as current densities in the
order of 3×106 Amps/cm2 may be required. Copper films
deposited by low energy kinetic ion bias sputtering have been found to
have 1,000 to 100,000 times larger electro-migration lifetimes larger
than aluminium silicon alloy. The deposited copper should be alloyed and
layered for maximum electro-migration lifetimes than aluminium silicon
alloy. The deposited copper should be alloyed and layered for maximum
electro-migration resistance, while maintaining high electrical
conductivity.

[0154](14) Planarize the wafer using CMP, until the level of the SiO2
is reached. A damascene process is used for the copper layer due to the
difficulty involved in etching copper. However, since the damascene
dielectric layer is subsequently removed, processing is actually simpler
if a standard deposit/etch cycle is used instead of damascene. However,
it should be noted that the aspect ratio of the copper etch would be 8:1
for this design, compared to only 4:1 for a damascene oxide etch. This
difference occurs because the copper is 1 μm wide and 4 μm thick,
but has only 0.5 μm spacing. Damascene processing also reduces the
lithographic difficulty, as the resist is on oxide, not metal.

[0155](15) Plasma etch the nozzle chamber 76, stopping at the boron doped
epitaxial silicon layer 92. This etch will be through around 13 μm of
SiO2, and 8 μm of silicon. The etch should be highly anisotropic,
with near vertical sidewalls. The etch stop detection can be on boron in
the exhaust gasses. If this etch is selective against NiFe, the masks for
this step and the following step can be combined, and the following step
can be eliminated. This step also etches the edge of the printhead wafer
down to the boron layer, for later separation.

[0156](16) Etch the SiO2 layer. This need only be removed in the
regions above the NiFe fixed magnetic poles, so it can be removed in the
previous step if an Si and SiO2 etch selective against NiFe is used.

[0157](17) Conformably deposit 0.5 μm of high density Si3N4.
This forms a corrosion barrier, so should be free of pinholes, and be
impermeable to OH ions.

[0158](18) Deposit a thick sacrificial layer. This layer should entirely
fill the nozzle chambers, and coat the entire wafer to an added thickness
of 8 μm. The sacrificial layer may be SiO2.

[0159](19) Etch two depths in the sacrificial layer for a dual damascene
process. The deep etch is 8 μm, and the shallow etch is 3 μm. The
masks define the piston 74, the lever arm 84, the springs 80, 82 and the
moveable magnetic pole 68.

[0160](20) Conformably deposit 0.1 μm of high density Si3N4.
This forms a corrosion barrier, so should be free of pinholes, and be
impermeable to OH ions.

[0161](21) Deposit 8 μm of nickel iron alloy (NiFe).

[0162](22) Planarize the wafer using CMP, until the level of the SiO2
is reached.

[0163](23) Deposit 0.1 μm of silicon nitride (Si3N4).

[0164](24) Etch the Si3N4 everywhere except the top of the
plungers.

[0165](25) Open the bond pads.

[0166](26) Permanently bond the wafer onto a pre-fabricated ink channel
wafer. The active side of the printhead wafer faces the ink channel
wafer. The ink channel wafer is attached to a backing plate, as it has
already been etched into separate ink channel chips.

[0167](27) Etch the printhead wafer to entirely remove the backside
silicon to the level of the boron doped epitaxial layer 92. This etch can
be a batch wet etch in ethylenediamine pyrocatechol (EDP).

[0168](28) Mask a nozzle rim 96 from the underside of the printhead wafer.
This mask also includes the chip edges.

[0169](31) Etch through the boron doped silicon layer 92, thereby creating
the nozzle holes 70. This etch should also etch fairly deeply into the
sacrificial material in the nozzle chambers 76 to reduce time required to
remove the sacrificial layer.

[0170](32) Completely etch the sacrificial material. If this material is
SiO2 then a HF etch can be used. The nitride coating on the various
layers protects the other glass dielectric layers and other materials in
the device from HF etching. Access of the HF to the sacrificial layer
material is through the nozzle, and simultaneously through the ink
channel chip. The effective depth of the etch is 21 μm.

[0171](33) Separate the chips from the backing plate. Each chip is now a
full printhead including ink channels. The two wafers have already been
etched through, so the printheads do not need to be diced.

[0172](34) Test the printheads and TAB bond the good printheads.

[0173](35) Hydrophobize the front surface of the printheads.

[0174](36) Perform final testing on the TAB bonded printheads.

[0175]FIG. 17 shows a perspective view, in part in section, of a single
ink jet nozzle arrangement 60 constructed in accordance with the
preferred embodiment.

[0176]One alternative form of detailed manufacturing process which can be
used to fabricate monolithic ink jet printheads operating in accordance
with the principles taught by the present embodiment can proceed
utilizing the following steps:

[0179]3. Complete a 0.5-micron, one poly, 2 metal CMOS process. This step
is shown in FIG. 19. For clarity, these diagrams may not be to scale, and
may not represent a cross section though any single plane of the nozzle.
FIG. 18 is a key to representations of various materials in these
manufacturing diagrams.

[0180]4. Etch the CMOS oxide layers down to silicon or aluminum using Mask
1. This mask defines the nozzle chamber 76, the edges of the printheads
chips, and the vias for the contacts from the aluminum electrodes to two
halves of the fixed magnetic pole 66.

[0181]5. Plasma etch the silicon 90 down to the boron doped buried layer
92, using oxide from step 4 as a mask. This etch does not substantially
etch the aluminum. This step is shown in FIG. 20.

[0182]6. Deposit a seed layer of cobalt nickel iron alloy. CoNiFe is
chosen due to a high saturation flux density of 2 Tesla, and a low
coercivity. [Osaka, Tetsuya et al, A soft magnetic CoNiFe film with high
saturation magnetic flux density, Nature 392, 796-798 (1998)].

[0183]7. Spin on 4 microns of resist 99, expose with Mask 2, and develop.
This mask defines the fixed magnetic pole 66 and the nozzle chamber wall,
for which the resist 99 acts as an electroplating mold. This step is
shown in FIG. 21.

[0185]9. Strip the resist and etch the exposed seed layer. This step is
shown in FIG. 23.

[0186]10. Deposit 0.1 microns of silicon nitride (Si3N4).

[0187]11. Etch the nitride layer using Mask 3. This mask defines the
contact vias from each end of the solenoid 62 to the two halves of the
fixed magnetic pole 66.

[0188]12. Deposit a seed layer of copper. Copper is used for its low
resistivity (which results in higher efficiency) and its high
electromigration resistance, which increases reliability at high current
densities.

[0189]13. Spin on 5 microns of resist 101, expose with Mask 4, and
develop. This mask defines a spiral coil for the solenoid 62, the nozzle
chamber wall and the spring posts 94, for which the resist acts as an
electroplating mold. This step is shown in FIG. 24.

[0190]14. Electroplate 4 microns of copper 103.

[0191]15. Strip the resist 101 and etch the exposed copper seed layer.
This step is shown in FIG. 25.

[0192]16. Wafer probe. All electrical connections are complete at this
point, bond pads are accessible, and the chips are not yet separated.

[0195]19. Etch the sacrificial material 102 using Mask 5. This mask
defines the spring posts 94 and the nozzle chamber wall. This step is
shown in FIG. 26.

[0196]20. Deposit a seed layer of CoNiFe.

[0197]21. Spin on 4.5 microns of resist 104, expose with Mask 6, and
develop. This mask defines the walls of the magnetic plunger or piston
74, the lever arm 84, the nozzle chamber wall and the spring posts 94.
The resist forms an electroplating mold for these parts. This step is
shown in FIG. 27.

[0200]24. Spin on 4 microns of resist 108, expose with Mask 7, and
develop. This mask defines the roof of the magnetic plunger 74, the
nozzle chamber wall, the lever arm 84, the springs 80, 82, and the spring
posts 94. The resist 108 forms an electroplating mold for these parts.
This step is shown in FIG. 29.

[0202]26. Mount the wafer 90 on a glass blank 112 and back-etch the wafer
90 using KOH, with no mask. This etch thins the wafer 90 and stops at the
buried boron doped silicon layer 92. This step is shown in FIG. 31.

[0203]27. Plasma back-etch the boron doped silicon layer 92 to a depth of
1 micron using Mask 8. This mask defines the nozzle rim 96. This step is
shown in FIG. 32.

[0204]28. Plasma back-etch through the boron doped layer 92 using Mask 9.
This mask defines the ink ejection port 78, and the edge of the chips. At
this stage, the chips are separate, but are still mounted on the glass
blank 112. This step is shown in FIG. 33.

[0205]29. Detach the chips from the glass blank 112. Strip all adhesive,
resist, sacrificial, and exposed seed layers. This step is shown in FIG.
34.

[0206]30. Mount the printheads in their packaging, which may be a molded
plastic former incorporating ink channels which supply different colors
of ink to the appropriate regions of the front surface of the wafer.

[0207]31. Connect the printheads to their interconnect systems.

[0208]32. Hydrophobize the front surface of the printheads.

[0209]33. Fill the completed printheads with ink and test them. A filled
nozzle is shown in FIG. 35.

[0210]The following description is of an embodiment of the invention
covered by U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/113,061 to the applicant.
In this embodiment, a linear stepper motor is utilised to control a
plunger device. The plunger device compresses ink within a nozzle chamber
to cause the ejection of ink from the chamber on demand.

[0211]Turning to FIG. 36, there is illustrated a single nozzle arrangement
120 as constructed in accordance with this embodiment. The nozzle
arrangement 120 includes a nozzle chamber 122 into which ink flows via a
nozzle chamber filter portion 124 which includes a series of posts which
filter out foreign bodies in the ink inflow. The nozzle chamber 122
includes an ink ejection port 126 for the ejection of ink on demand.
Normally, the nozzle chamber 122 is filled with ink.

[0212]A linear actuator 128 is provided for rapidly compressing a nickel
ferrous plunger 130 into the nozzle chamber 122 so as to compress the
volume of ink within the chamber 122 to thereby cause ejection of drops
from the ink ejection port 126. The plunger 130 is connected to a stepper
moving pole device 132 of the linear actuator 128 which is actuated by
means of a three phase arrangement of electromagnets 134, 136, 138, 140,
142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156. The electromagnets are driven in
three phases with electro magnets 134, 146, 140 and 152 being driven in a
first phase, electromagnets 136, 148, 142, 154 being driven in a second
phase and electromagnets 138, 150, 144, 156 being driven in a third
phase. The electromagnets are driven in a reversible manner so as to
de-actuate the plunger 130 via actuator 128. The actuator 128 is guided
at one end by a means of a guide 158, 160. At the other end, the plunger
130 is coated with a hydrophobic material such as polytetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE) which can form a major part of the plunger 130. The PTFE acts to
repel the ink from the nozzle chamber 122 resulting in the creation of
menisci 224, 226 (FIG. 59(a)) between the plunger 130 and side walls 162,
164. The surface tension characteristics of the menisci 224, 226 act to
guide the plunger 130 within the nozzle chamber 122. The menisci 224, 226
further stop ink from flowing out of the chamber 122 and hence the
electromagnets 134 to 156 can be operated in the atmosphere.

[0213]The nozzle arrangement 120 is therefore operated to eject drops on
demand by means of activating the actuator 128 by appropriately
synchronised driving of electromagnets 134 to 156. The actuation of the
actuator 128 results in the plunger 130 moving towards the nozzle ink
ejection port 126 thereby causing ink to be ejected from the port 126.

[0214]Subsequently, the electromagnets 134 to 156 are driven in reverse
thereby moving the plunger 130 in an opposite direction resulting in the
inflow of ink from an ink supply connected to an ink inlet port 166.

[0215]Preferably, multiple ink nozzle arrangements 120 can be constructed
adjacent to one another to form a multiple nozzle ink ejection mechanism.
The nozzle arrangements 120 are preferably constructed in an array print
head constructed on a single silicon wafer which is subsequently diced in
accordance with requirements. The diced print heads can then be
interconnected to an ink supply which can comprise a through chip ink
flow or ink flow from the side of a chip.

[0216]Turning now to FIG. 37, there is shown an exploded perspective of
the various layers of the nozzle arrangement 120. The nozzle arrangement
120 can be constructed on top of a silicon wafer 168 which has a standard
electronic circuitry layer such as a two level metal CMOS layer 170. The
two metal CMOS layer 170 provides the drive and control circuitry for the
ejection of ink from the nozzles 120 by interconnection of the
electromagnets to the CMOS layer 170. On top of the CMOS layer 170 is a
nitride passivation layer 172 which passivates the lower layers against
any ink erosion in addition to any etching of the lower CMOS glass layer
170 should a sacrificial etching process be used in the construction of
the nozzle arrangement 120.

[0217]On top of the nitride layer 172 are constructed various other
layers. The wafer layer 168, the CMOS layer 170 and the nitride
passivation layer 172 are constructed with the appropriate vias for
interconnection with the above layers. On top of the nitride layer 172 is
constructed a bottom copper layer 174 which interconnects with the CMOS
layer 170 as appropriate. Next, a nickel ferrous layer 176 is constructed
which includes portions for the core of the electromagnets 134 to 156 and
the actuator 128 and guides 158, 160. On top of the NiFe layer 176 is
constructed a second copper layer 178 which forms the rest of the
electromagnetic device. The copper layer 178 can be constructed using a
dual damascene process. Next, a PTFE layer 180 is laid down followed by a
nitride layer 182 which defines the side filter portions 124 and side
wall portions 162, 164 of the nozzle chamber 122. The ejection port 126
and a nozzle rim 184 are etched into the nitride layer 182. A number of
apertures 186 are defined in the nitride layer 182 to facilitate etching
away any sacrificial material used in the construction of the various
lower layers including the nitride layer 182.

[0218]It will be understood by those skilled in the art of construction of
micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) that the various layers 170 to
182 can be constructed using a sacrificial material to support the
layers. The sacrificial material is then etched away to release the
components of the nozzle arrangement 120.

[0219]For a general introduction to a micro-electro mechanical system
(MEMS) reference is made to standard proceedings in this field including
the proceedings of the SPIE (International Society for Optical
Engineering), volumes 2642 and 2882 which contain the proceedings for
recent advances and conferences in this field.

[0220]One form of detailed manufacturing process which can be used to
fabricate monolithic ink jet print heads operating in accordance with the
principles taught by the present embodiment can proceed utilizing the
following steps:

[0221]1. Using a double sided polished wafer 188, complete drive
transistors, data distribution, and timing circuits using a 0.5 micron,
one poly, 2 metal CMOS process. This step is shown in FIG. 39. For
clarity, these diagrams may not be to scale, and may not represent a
cross section though any single plane of the nozzle 120. FIG. 38 is a key
to representations of various materials in these manufacturing diagrams,
and those of other cross-referenced ink jet configurations.

[0222]2. Deposit 1 micron of sacrificial material 190.

[0223]3. Etch the sacrificial material 190 and the CMOS oxide layers down
to second level metal using Mask 1. This mask defines contact vias 192
from the second level metal electrodes to the solenoids. This step is
shown in FIG. 40.

[0224]4. Deposit a barrier layer of titanium nitride (TiN) and a seed
layer of copper.

[0225]5. Spin on 2 microns of resist 194, expose with Mask 2, and develop.
This mask defines the lower side of a solenoid square helix. The resist
194 acts as an electroplating mold. This step is shown in FIG. 41.

[0226]6. Electroplate 1 micron of copper 196. Copper is used for its low
resistivity (which results in higher efficiency) and its high
electromigration resistance, which increases reliability at high current
densities.

[0227]7. Strip the resist 198 and etch the exposed barrier and seed
layers. This step is shown in FIG. 42.

[0228]8. Deposit 0.1 microns of silicon nitride.

[0229]9. Deposit a seed layer of cobalt nickel iron alloy. CoNiFe is
chosen due to a high saturation flux density of 2 Tesla, and a low
coercivity. [Osaka, Tetsuya et al, A soft magnetic CoNiFe film with high
saturation magnetic flux density, Nature 392, 796-798 (1998)].

[0230]10. Spin on 3 microns of resist 198, expose with Mask 3, and
develop. This mask defines all of the soft magnetic parts, being the
fixed magnetic pole of the electromagnets, 134 to 156, the moving poles
of the linear actuator 128, the horizontal guides 158, 160, and the core
of the ink plunger 130. The resist 198 acts as an electroplating mold.
This step is shown in FIG. 43.

[0232]12. Strip the resist 198 and etch the exposed seed layer. This step
is shown in FIG. 45.

[0233]13. Deposit 0.1 microns of silicon nitride (Si3N4) (not shown).

[0234]14. Spin on 2 microns of resist 202, expose with Mask 4, and
develop. This mask defines solenoid vertical wire segments 204, for which
the resist acts as an electroplating mold. This step is shown in FIG. 46.

[0238]18. Spin on 2 microns of resist 208, expose with Mask 5, and
develop. This mask defines the upper side of the solenoid square helix.
The resist 208 acts as an electroplating mold. This step is shown in FIG.
48.

[0247]27. Etch all layers of sacrificial material using Mask 8. This mask
defines the nozzle chamber walls 162, 164. This step is shown in FIG. 54.

[0248]28. Deposit 3 microns of PECVD glass 218.

[0249]29. Etch to a depth of (approx.) 1 micron using Mask 9. This mask
defines the nozzle rim

[0250]184. This step is shown in FIG. 55.

[0251]30. Etch down to the sacrificial layer using Mask 10. This mask
defines the roof of the nozzle chamber 122, the ink ejection port 126,
and the sacrificial etch access apertures 186. This step is shown in FIG.
56.

[0252]31. Back-etch completely through the silicon wafer (with, for
example, an ASE Advanced Silicon Etcher from Surface Technology Systems)
using Mask 11. Continue the back-etch through the CMOS glass layers until
the sacrificial layer is reached. This mask defines ink inlets 220 which
are etched through the wafer 168. The wafer 168 is also diced by this
etch. This step is shown in FIG. 57.

[0253]32. Etch the sacrificial material away. The nozzle chambers 122 are
cleared, the actuators 128 freed, and the chips are separated by this
etch. This step is shown in FIG. 58.

[0254]33. Mount the printheads in their packaging, which may be a molded
plastic former incorporating ink channels which supply the appropriate
color ink to the ink inlets 220 at the back of the wafer. The package
also includes a piezoelectric actuator attached to the rear of the ink
channels. The piezoelectric actuator provides the oscillating ink
pressure required for the ink jet operation.

[0255]34. Connect the printheads to their interconnect systems. For a low
profile connection with minimum disruption of airflow, TAB may be used.
Wire bonding may also be used if the printer is to be operated with
sufficient clearance to the paper.

[0256]35. Hydrophobize the front surface of the printheads.

[0257]36. Fill the completed printheads with ink 222 and test them. A
filled nozzle is shown in FIG. 59.

IJ27 Printhead--U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,603

[0258]The following embodiment is referred to by the Applicant as the IJ27
printhead. This printhead is described below with reference to FIGS. 60
to 75, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,603 the contents of which are
incorporated by cross reference above. In the description of the IJ27
embodiment, features and elements shown in FIGS. 60 to 75 are indicated
by the same reference numerals as those used to indicate the same or
closely corresponding features and elements of the embodiments shown in
FIGS. 1 to 59.

[0259]In the IJ27 embodiment, a "roof shooting" ink jet printhead is
constructed utilizing a buckle plate actuator for the ejection of ink. In
the preferred embodiment, the buckle plate actuator is constructed from
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) which provides superior thermal expansion
characteristics. The PTFE is heated by an integral, serpentine shaped
heater, which preferably is constructed from a resistive material, such
as copper.

[0260]Turning now to FIG. 60 there is shown a sectional perspective view
of an ink jet printhead 1 of the preferred embodiment. The ink jet
printhead includes a nozzle chamber 2 in which ink is stored to be
ejected. The chamber 2 can be independently connected to an ink supply
(not shown) for the supply and refilling of the chamber. At the base of
the chamber 2 is a buckle plate 3 which comprises a heater element 4
which can be of an electrically resistive material such as copper. The
heater element 4 is encased in a polytetrafluoroethylene layer 5. The
utilization of the PTFE layer 5 allows for high rates of thermal
expansion and therefore more effective operation of the buckle plate 3.
PTFE has a high coefficient of thermal expansion (770×10-6)
with the copper having a much lower degree of thermal expansion. The
copper heater element 4 is therefore fabricated in a serpentine pattern
so as to allow the expansion of the PTFE layer to proceed unhindered. The
serpentine fabrication of the heater element 4 means that the two
coefficients of thermal expansion of the PTFE and the heater material
need not be closely matched. The PTFE is primarily chosen for its high
thermal expansion properties.

[0261]Current can be supplied to the buckle plate 3 by means of connectors
7, 8 which inter-connect the buckle plate 3 with a lower drive circuitry
and logic layer 26. Hence, to operate the ink jet head 1, the heater coil
4 is energized thereby heating the PTFE 5. The PTFE 5 expands and buckles
between end portions 12, 13. The buckle causes initial ejection of ink
out of a nozzle 15 located at the top of the nozzle chamber 2. There is
an air bubble between the buckle plate 3 and the adjacent wall of the
chamber which forms due to the hydrophobic nature of the PTFE on the back
surface of the buckle plate 3. An air vent 17 connects the air bubble to
the ambient air through a channel 18 formed between a nitride layer 19
and an additional PTFE layer 20, separated by posts, e.g. 21, and through
holes, e.g. 22, in the PTFE layer 20. The air vent 17 allows the buckle
plate 3 to move without being held back by a reduction in air pressure as
the buckle plate 3 expands. Subsequently, power is turned off to the
buckle plate 3 resulting in a collapse of the buckle plate and the
sucking back of some of the ejected ink. The forward motion of the
ejected ink and the sucking back is resolved by an ink drop breaking off
from the main volume of ink and continuing onto a page. Ink refill is
then achieved by surface tension effects across the nozzle part 15 and a
resultant inflow of ink into the nozzle chamber 2 through the grilled
supply channel 16.

[0262]Subsequently the nozzle chamber 2 is ready for refiring.

[0263]It has been found in simulations of the preferred embodiment that
the utilization of the PTFE layer and serpentine heater arrangement
allows for a substantial reduction in energy requirements of operation in
addition to a more compact design.

[0264]Turning now to FIG. 61, there is provided an exploded perspective
view partly in section illustrating the construction of a single ink jet
nozzle in accordance with the preferred embodiment. The nozzle
arrangement 1 is fabricated on top of a silicon wafer 25. The nozzle
arrangement 1 can be constructed on the silicon wafer 25 utilizing
standard semi-conductor processing techniques in addition to those
techniques commonly used for the construction of micro-electro-mechanical
systems (MEMS). For a general introduction to a micro-electro mechanical
system (MEMS) reference is made to standard proceedings in this field
including the proceedings of the SPIE (International Society for Optical
Engineering), volumes 2642 and 2882 which contain the proceedings for
recent advances and conferences in this field.

[0265]On top of the silicon layer 25 is deposited a two level CMOS
circuitry layer 26 which substantially comprises glass, in addition to
the usual metal layers. Next a nitride layer 19 is deposited to protect
and passivate the underlying layer 26. The nitride layer 19 also includes
vias for the interconnection of the heater element 4 to the CMOS layer
26. Next, a PTFE layer 20 is constructed having the aforementioned holes,
e.g. 22, and posts, e.g. 21. The structure of the PTFE layer 20 can be
formed by first laying down a sacrificial glass layer (not shown) onto
which the PTFE layer 20 is deposited. The PTFE layer 20 includes various
features, for example, a lower ridge portion 27 in addition to a hole 28
which acts as a via for the subsequent material layers. The buckle plate
3 (FIG. 60) comprises a conductive layer 31 and a PTFE layer 32. A first,
thicker PTFE layer is deposited onto a sacrificial layer (not shown).
Next, a conductive layer 31 is deposited including contacts 29, 30. The
conductive layer 31 is then etched to form a serpentine pattern. Next, a
thinner, second PTFE layer is deposited to complete the buckle plate 3
(FIG. 60) structure.

[0266]Finally, a nitride layer can be deposited to form the nozzle chamber
proper. The nitride layer can be formed by first laying down a
sacrificial glass layer and etching this to form walls, e.g. 33, and
grilled portions, e.g. 34. Preferably, the mask utilized results in a
first anchor portion 35 which mates with the hole 28 in layer 20.
Additionally, the bottom surface of the grill, for example 34 meets with
a corresponding step 36 in the PTFE layer 32. Next, a top nitride layer
37 can be formed having a number of holes, e.g. 38, and nozzle port 15
around which a rim 39 can be etched through etching of the nitride layer
37. Subsequently the various sacrificial layers can be etched away so as
to release the structure of the thermal actuator and the air vent channel
18 (FIG. 60).

[0267]One form of detailed manufacturing process which can be used to
fabricate monolithic ink jet print heads operating in accordance with the
principles taught by the present embodiment can proceed utilizing the
following steps:

[0268]1. Using a double sided polished wafer 25, complete drive
transistors, data distribution, and timing circuits 26 using a 0.5
micron, one poly, 2 metal CMOS process. Relevant features of the wafer 25
at this step are shown in FIG. 63. For clarity, these diagrams may not be
to scale, and may not represent a cross section though any single plane
of the nozzle. FIG. 62 is a key to representations of various materials
in these manufacturing diagrams, and those of other cross referenced ink
jet configurations.

[0269]2. Deposit 1 micron of low stress nitride 19. This acts as a barrier
to prevent ink diffusion through the silicon dioxide of the chip surface.

[0286]19. Etch to a depth of 1 micron using Mask 7. This mask defines the
nozzle rim 39. This step is shown in FIG. 71.

[0287]20. Etch down to the sacrificial layer 52 using Mask 8. This mask
defines the nozzle 15 and the sacrificial etch access holes 38. This step
is shown in FIG. 72.

[0288]21. Back-etch completely through the silicon wafer 25 (with, for
example, an ASE Advanced Silicon Etcher from Surface Technology Systems)
using Mask 9. This mask defines the ink inlets which are etched through
the wafer 25. The wafer 25 is also diced by this etch. This step is shown
in FIG. 73.

[0289]22. Back-etch the CMOS oxide layers 26 and subsequently deposited
nitride layers 19 and sacrificial layer 50 and 51 through to PTFE 20 and
32 using the back-etched silicon as a mask.

[0290]23. Etch the sacrificial material 52. The nozzle chambers are
cleared, the actuators freed, and the chips are separated by this etch.
This step is shown in FIG. 74.

[0291]24. Mount the printheads in their packaging, which may be a molded
plastic former incorporating ink channels which supply the appropriate
color ink to the ink inlets at the back of the wafer.

[0292]25. Connect the printheads to their interconnect systems. For a low
profile connection with minimum disruption of airflow, TAB may be used.
Wire bonding may also be used if the printer is to be operated with
sufficient clearance to the paper.

[0293]26. Hydrophobize the front surface of the printheads.

[0294]27. Fill the completed printheads with ink 54 and test them. A
filled nozzle is shown in FIG. 75.

[0295]It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous
variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as
shown in the specific embodiment without departing from the spirit or
scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiment is,
therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not
restrictive.

[0297]The embodiments of the invention use an ink jet printer type device.
Of course many different devices could be used. However presently popular
ink jet printing technologies are unlikely to be suitable.

[0298]The most significant problem with thermal ink jet is power
consumption. This is approximately 100 times that required for high
speed, and stems from the energy-inefficient means of drop ejection. This
involves the rapid boiling of water to produce a vapor bubble which
expels the ink. Water has a very high heat capacity, and must be
superheated in thermal ink jet applications. This leads to an efficiency
of around 0.02%, from electricity input to drop momentum (and increased
surface area) out.

[0299]The most significant problem with piezoelectric ink jet is size and
cost. Piezoelectric crystals have a very small deflection at reasonable
drive voltages, and therefore require a large area for each nozzle. Also,
each piezoelectric actuator must be connected to its drive circuit on a
separate substrate. This is not a significant problem at the current
limit of around 300 nozzles per printhead, but is a major impediment to
the fabrication of pagewidth printheads with 19,200 nozzles.

[0300]Ideally, the ink jet technologies used meet the stringent
requirements of in-camera digital color printing and other high quality,
high speed, low cost printing applications. To meet the requirements of
digital photography, new ink jet technologies have been created. The
target features include:

[0301]low power (less than 10 Watts)

[0302]high resolution capability (1,600 dpi or more)

[0303]photographic quality output

[0304]low manufacturing cost

[0305]small size (pagewidth times minimum cross section)

[0306]high speed (<2 seconds per page).

[0307]All of these features can be met or exceeded by the ink jet systems
described above.